A 5-day safari in Tanzania offers a perfect mix of wildlife adventure, serenity, and natural beauty. In this post, we will share with you the exact Tanzania safari itinerary that we followed for our trip.
From the vast savannas of Serengeti to the majestic crater of Ngorongoro, Tanzanian national parks beckon nature lovers and adventurers. These parks support a diverse array of wildlife and natural landscapes.
We chose a 5-day safari as it allowed us to explore all the major national parks in northern Tanzania and matched our budget too. Anything less than 5 days meant rushing through all the parks. Follow this itinerary and make the most of your trip.
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Types of Safari
There are several options for safari but it depends mainly on your budget. All visitors have access to the same forests and grasslands, so what changes with a safari type is your accommodation.
You have broadly 3 types of safaris to choose from.
Budget Safari
This type of safari is ideal for travellers seeking maximum value for money. Budget safaris are conducted with shared groups.
The package generally includes shared transport and game drives, park entrance fees, meals, and accommodation in basic tents. Meals are prepared by a cook who travels with the group.
Mid-range Safari
With this type of safari, you can experience private tour in a mid-range budget. The safari packages are usually all-inclusive with meals, transportation, and accommodation.
Your accommodation most likely will be provided in a mid-range, comfortable tented camp or a lodge. Such camps are equipped with necessary amenities like en-suite bathroom and comfy beds.
You can also choose between flying to Serengeti and travelling by road. The cost may go up should you decide to take a flight to Serengeti.
There are several airstrips located throughout the park to provide access to different areas.
Luxury Safari
A luxury safari combines private game drive experience with five-star accommodation.
Whether you stay in a luxury camp or a lodge, you will have a range of amenities such as swimming pool, spa, luxury dining, private viewing deck and more.
The luxury safari packages also include flights wherever possible so you can skip the long drives. This also means it is the most expensive option.
If you are looking to splurge on a Tanzanian safari, choose a luxury safari package.
How To Get To Tanzania
Arusha is the gateway to Tanzania’s ‘Northern Circuit’ Safari that includes, Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara.
The nearest international airport to Arusha is Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) which is about 50 km away. From the airport, you can take an airport shuttle or book a private car to reach Arusha.
Alternatively, fly into Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam and take a connecting flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK).
Where To Stay Before The Safari
Most people start their safari from Arusha. We too landed at Kilimanjaro Airport and stayed overnight in Arusha before starting our safari trip the next morning.
Arusha has a variety of hotels and lodges catering to all budget types.
Affordable: The Milimani Lodge
Mid-priced: Shoki Shoki Lodge Arusha
Luxury: Gran Melia Arusha
5-Day Tanzania Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Tarangire National Park
We started early morning from Arusha and reached Tarangire in approximately 2 hours. Upon completing some quick formalities at the entrance, our safari jeep was allowed inside the park.
Tarangire National Park is filled with stunning landscapes featuring river valleys, swamps and woodlands dotted with acacia and baobab trees. The main highlight of the park is its massive elephant herds.
We spent the whole day exploring different areas of the park. From the gigantic African tuskers to herbivores like giraffe, zebra, impala, and gazelle, we spotted plenty of wild animals.
The park boasts an abundance of birdlife too. Yellow-collared lovebird, secretary bird, Von der Decken’s hornbill, and ostrich – these are some of the birds we managed to spot.
To learn more about this national park, read our post: The Ultimate Guide to Tarangire National Park
Where To Stay in And Around Tarangire National Park
The accommodation options within the park range from mid-priced to luxury lodges and tented camps.
Mid-range: Tarangire Sopa Lodge
Luxury: Tarangire Kuro Treetops Lodge
For budget stay options, you can also look for hotels in Karatu which is roughly 90 km from Tarangire.
Day 2-3: Serengeti National Park
The next morning, we left for Serengeti after an early breakfast. It took us about 4 hours to get to Naabi Hill Gate, the most popular entrance of the park.
The drive was mainly through unpaved, dirt roads. Luckily, we had face masks that protected us from all the dust.
Serengeti National Park is huge encompassing four different regions: Central Serengeti/Seronera, Western Corridor/Grumeti, Northern Serengeti, Southern Serengeti/Ndutu.
You can check out our comprehensive guide to Serengeti National Park to learn more.
Our 2-day game drive covered mainly central region and some parts of Southern Serengeti.
The game drive on the first day was short as half of the day was gone in travelling. Fortunately, the second day was much more eventful with four of the Big Five game animals sighted on the same day.
We saw lions, leopards, elephants, and Cape buffalos but missed black rhinos. There are only a few of them in the park and the rhino sightings are rare.
The most interesting sighting for us was cheetah chasing and hunting an impala. Though it happened in distance, we could see it with binoculars.
Where To Stay in Serengeti National Park
Here are some of the best lodges to stay within the park.
Central Serengeti/Seronera: Seronera Wildlife Lodge
Western Corridor/Grumeti: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge
Northern Serengeti: Lobo Wildlife Lodge
Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater
Our next stop was Ngorongoro Crater, roughly 3-hour drive away from Central Serengeti.
Ngorongoro Crater is world’s largest inactive volcanic caldera. It formed 2-3 million years ago when a huge volcanic eruption caused its cone to collapse inward.
The crater supports a vast array of spectacular landscapes and diverse wildlife.
Apart from the Big Five, it is also home to animals like hippos, warthogs, hyenas, zebras, wildebeest, golden jackal, and more.
Most animals in Ngorongoro Crater are non-migratory and stay there year-long. So, the crater abounds with wildlife throughout the year and sightings are not affected by migration season.
Please read our in-depth Guide to Ngorongoro Crater to learn more.
Where To Stay in And Around Ngorongoro Crater
You will find mainly luxury and mid-range accommodation options near the crater. Here are a few places to consider:
Luxury: Ngorongoro Lodge member of Meliá Collection
Mid-range: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
Karatu town is about 50 km from crater. Look for hotels in Karatu for a budget-friendly place to stay.
Day 5: Lake Manyara National Park
This was the smallest of all national parks we visited during our trip. The park covers a total of 325 sq km, a majority of which is occupied by Lake Manyara itself.
Lake Manyara is known for its vibrant birdlife. In wet season, you can see large flocks of flamingos along the shallow edge of the lake.
They come here to feed on algae, shrimps, and other small crustaceans. More than 350 species of birds are found in this area.
Besides its avian population, the park is also home to several mammal species like elephant, lion, warthog, zebra, giraffe and more.
We spotted lots of elephants and a solitary lioness well camouflaged amid the rocks.
Read our guide to Lake Manyara National Park to discover more about this park.
After our safari tour, we decided to extend our Tanzania trip to visit Zanzibar Island. We will cover more on that in another post.
Where To Stay When Visiting Lake Manyara
There are a range of accommodation options near the park catering to different budgets and preferences.
Whether you’re looking for a luxurious lodge, a mid-range option, or a more budget-friendly camp, there’s something for everyone. Here are some great places to consider.
Luxury: Lake Manyara Kilimamoja Lodge
Mid-range: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge
Budget: African Sunrise Lodge and Campsite
Over To You Now…
We hope our 5-day Tanzania Safari Itinerary was informative and helpful.
Have you been on a Tanzanian safari earlier? How was your game drive experience and what kind of wildlife did you spot? Let us know in the comments below.
